Celebrate Freedom

“The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it.  And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.” – JFK

Tomorrow is Memorial Day for those of us here in the U.S.  It is a day that we are supposed to remember the men and women who have fought bravely and given up their own lives so that we could continue to live in the “land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Unfortunately, it seems that each generation loses just a little more respect, a little more honor, and a little more memory of what has been sacrificed for them.  Because of violence on television and in movies, I’m afraid that we are growing callous towards war and indifferent about our military.

But no matter what we say about them or feel about them or even forget about them, these incredible men and women still devote their lives to protecting us – even when we don’t deserve it!  They leave their loved ones behind, often not seeing them for months or years at a time.  They put their lives in danger as part of their regular day job.  They see death in front of them and still plunge on ahead, not stopping to focus on their own emotional or mental turmoil.  Many of them come home with only one arm or one leg or a bullet lodged in their body.  Others come home in body bags, leaving behind spouses and children who must struggle on through life without knowing their loved one who, literally, sacrificed everything for them to be free.

My cousin, who courageously serves in the military with her husband, says that tomorrow is a day of mourning.  But I think it should be a day of celebrating – celebrating the men and women who have served us so well.  So enjoy your cookouts, your pool parties, your days at the beach, but celebrate in the name of freedom.  And never forget.